Parametric studies of point-supported laminated glass for simplified design

To accurately determine the stresses, the design engineer typically relies on detailed finite element analysis (FEA). While the associated computational cost is often acceptable for complex geometries or atypical applications, it is often desirable to reduce dependence on FEA wherever possible. There exists in the literature some closed-form analytical solutions for glass composites (beams or plates), but these are typically limited to edge supported conditions and are often intractable for design purposes. As a result, it is desirable to obtain simplified methods for design of some of the most commonly encountered geometries, loads and materials for point-supported structural glass through numerical parametric studies. This research is two-fold in that it provides detailed parametric studies of point-supported laminated glass and compares the results to analytical and experimental results. First, existing specifications for design are evaluated to be used as a baseline for subsequent FEA but are found to give stress results that vary by up to 44%. Parametric studies of point-supported, fullyered, laminated glass specimens are performed for various thickness, number and location of point supports, panel geometry and loading. The results of the parametric studies are found to be within 2% of experimental results. The disparity between industry specified geometry and acceptable stresses prompts further research into development of reliable hand-calculations.